Latching and releasing mechanism for refrigerator doors



March 10, 1953 J. v. JAMlsoN, JR 2,531,052

LATCHING AND RELEASING MECHANISM FOR REFRIGERATOR DOORS March 10, 1953 v2,631,052

LATCHING AND RELEASING MECHANISM FOR REFRIGERATOR DooRs J. v. JA'MlsoN, JR

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Oct. l2. 1949 IN V EN TOR.

Patented Mar. 10, 1953 LATCHING? AND RELEASING MECHANISM FOR, REFRIGERATOR DOORS John Vincent Jamison, Jr., Hagerstown, Md., as-

signor to Jamison Cold Storage Door Co., Hagerstown, Md., a corporation of Maryland Application October 12, 1949, Serial No. 120,947

closed by a spring actuated keeper mounted on the door frame and engaging a lug on the door when the door is in closed position. Doors of this overlapping type Vary in thickness according to the temperature and humidity and vapor conditions of use, and often with heavy doors two or more latching devices are used to hold the door tightly sealed when closed, which is of vital importance in todays sub-zero refrigerated rooms.

An object of the invention is to provide a latching and releasing mechanism that is adapted for use on overlapping refrigerator doors of various thicknesses.

A further object of the invention is to provide a latching and releasing mechanism which may be used for simultaneously releasing two or more keepers.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a latching and releasing mechanism which, when the door is slammed to the closed position. will firmly compress the door against the gasket making an airtight seal and when pulled upon will release the keeper or keepers, break the gasket seal, and then serve as a means for opening the door.

In the drawings, which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation showing the improved latching and releasing mechanism applied to a refrigerator door having spring actu-ated keepers for holding the door in closed position;

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

In the drawings there is illustrated an overlapping superfreezer door. The do-or as a whole is indicated at I, and the door frame with which the door is associated is indicated at 2. There is a gasket 3, preferably attached to the door, which engages the door jam when the door is in closed position for sealing the opening leading to the refrigerator chamber. In the present embodiment of the invention there are shown three spring actuated latching devices indicated at 4, 4, 4 in the dra-wings for holding the door closed. Apnlicants latching and releasing mechanism operates independently upon these latches and it may be used for one or for more latches, depending upon the desired latching equipment for 1 Claim. (Cl. 292-254) 2 the type of door to which it is applied and the varying conditions under which the door is used.

Each latching device includes a housing 5 in which is mounted a keeper 6. The keeper 6 is provided with a head 'I which is tapered on its inner face which is indicated at 8 and is also tapered on its outer face as indicated at 2l. A spring 9, located in the housing 5, bears at one end against the head and at its other end against the rear wall of the housing. The keeper is therefore spring pressed so that it projects outward from the housing, but is capable when pressed upon to move into the housing, thus compressing the spring. The stem of the keeper is provided with the stop I0 which engages the housing and limits the outward movement of the keeper. Mounted on the edged portion I I of the overlapping door I is a bracket I2 carrying a lug I3 which cooperates with a keeper E in holding the door closed. When the door is moved to closed position the lug I3 contacts the tapered face 2| of the head 'I yand forces the keeper into the housing until the lug has passed the end of the keeper and then the keeper moves outwardly and'the'tapered face 8 will wedgingly force the door and gasket 3 into tight sealing contact with the door frame.

As shown in Figure 1, there are three of these latching devices and the housings thereof are adjustably secured to the door frame by bolts I4, I4 passing through slots I5 in the base of the housing. These slots permit the housings to be adjusted toward and from the edge of the door.

In order to wedge the door into tight sealing contact with the door frame, particularly in connection with relatively heavy overlap doors, a plurality of latching devices are used. They are all similar to the one described in detail. In Figure 1, three are shown. These latching devices are of well known construction and applicants invention has particularly to do with the latching and releasing mechanism for latches of this general type.

The bracket I 2 is provided with a bearing collar I6. There is also a bracket I1 which is attached to the outer face of the door and is provided with projecting portion I8 that extends for a short distance along the edge portion of the door. This bracket Il carries the bearing collar I9. Mounted in thebearing collars I and IS is a pin 29. This pin is provided with a wedge shaped end 2| which is adapted to engage the tapered outer face 22 on the head I of the keeper 6. This pin 20 is normally moved outwardly by a spring 23. The spring bears at one end against the bearing collar l5 and the other end against an abutment washer 23e which contacts a lug 23h carried by the pin 2t. It is understood that there is a pin 2t) associated With each latching device when more than one latching device is used.

The bracket il is provided with spaced ears 24, 24. A rod 25 is mounted in these ears and lever 25 is nxed to the rod 25. Said lever 26 has a projecting portion 2? which is adapted to engage the outer end of the rele-asing pin 2 B. When there are three latch devices then there are three latch releasing pins 2Q and three levers 2t for operating the latch releasing pins. These actuating levers are all attached to the rod 25, and one of the levers is extended so as to provide a handle portion 2E which is bent upon itself as indicated at 2t, and bears on the end of a rod 38. There is a spring 3i which normally turns .the rod 25 so. as to cause the end 29 of the handle portion to bear against this rod 30.

When it is desired to release the latches so that the door may be opened, the operator grasping the handle 23 Will turn the rod 25 in a counter-- clockwise direction and cause the nose end 2lof the releasing levers to force the releasing pins. against the keeper and to force the keepers back into the housings so as to free the end of the keepers With the associated holding lugs I3. Dur

ing this movement of the levers the handle 28 will be moved away from the door, but asV soon as the latches are released and the door is free, then a further pull on the handle will open the door. The rod 3Q may be passed through the door and thus the handle member 28 actuated from inside the door to release the latches if desired.

This type of door as noted above. is made of varying thicknesses depending, upon the place of. use and the temperature conditions under which it is used. The latching and releasing mecha-- nism, however, may be used in connection with any thickness of door. It is initially madeof suilicient length for the maximum thickness of door. For a door of less thickness, a portion is cut off from the upper end of the latch releasing pin and no other changes or modiiications are necessary. In the applying of the latch releasing mechanism to a door of given thickness, the amount out ofi from the end of the latch releasing pin corresponds to the change in the thickness of the door.

It is obvious that many changes may be made in this latch releasing mechanism without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

A latching and releasing mechanism for refrigerator doors of the overlapping type comprising a spring actuated keeper mounted on the door frame, a holding lug mounted on the edge of the door adjacent. the inner face thereof for wedging engagement With the keeper on the door frame for holding the door closed, a keeper releasing pin mounted in bearings on the edge portion of the door for endwise movement transversely thereof, said pin having a tapered end face for Wedgingengagement with the keeper for foroibly retracting the same from engagement with the. holding lug on the door, a spring for holding the pin out of engagement with the keeper, soas to permit free movement of said keeper to looking position, and a manually operated lever mechanism mounted on the outer face of the i door and having a projecting portion adapted to engage the outer end of said pin for forcing the pinA into engagement With the keeper for releasing the door.

JOI-IN VINCENT JAMlSON, Je.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name, Date 1,637,168 Wild July 26, 1927 1,853,243 Thor Apr. 12, 1932 1,856,531 Berg May 3, 1932 2,068,063 Miller Jan. 19, 1937 

